But where did we EVER dig up these photos?
We are the champions!
Karen Arrick
Marathon Team Leader
Winning the Charlie Miller chain saw at the One, One Run on New Years day in 2006 changed my life! When Chris Crowell told me it would bring me “good luck in running” I just knew it meant I would win the Chicago Marathon, so I quickly joined the Gazelle run camp to begin training. Soon I realized that the “luck in running” the chain saw brought me was not going to be winning a marathon, but something more valuable – new friends, a higher level of fitness, and a sense of accomplishment that I will always have with me (even though winning the marathon would have been cool.) Completing a marathon helped remind me that God gives us the ability to do what ever we want – it’s up to us to decide what we will do with it. So go ahead and SEIZE THE DAY – it makes tomorrow something to look forward to!
Email: KarenJArrick@Eaton.com
Boston Babe Francine Bangs
Francine Bangs
Marathon Team Leader: 11:30 Pace Group
I started running when I moved to Kalamazoo in 1982. The Borgess 5k run was my first run and I was hooked! I have run many 5k, 10k, and half marathons since then and gained many friends through running along the way. I didn’t do my first marathon until the year that I turned 50. I just had to prove to myself that I could do it. I have been doing a marathon almost every year since that first one in Columbus. I think the number of marathons is 15. I ran Chicago last October and then did Boston Marathon in April of this year. What a thrill! I have been a member of the Kalamazoo Area Runners since the mid 80’s and I am amazed at the growth of that group over the years. It is so wonderful that there is such wonderful support and interest in running in the community. I have one married daughter who accompanies me to a lot of the marathons. She is a nurse so that comes in handy when I am feeling a little bit exhausted at the end of the run! I retired from Eaton Corporation after 30 years working in information technology and am now working part time at Gazelle Sports. This fits right in with my love of running.
Email: fbangs@maxxconnect.net
Mug Shot of a Cop, Part II
Marty Buffenbarger
Track Workout Coach: Evening Sessions
There is a saying in Chariots of Fire that goes something like this, when I run I feel the pleasure of God is with me. This is the where my running has come to. I ran as a 1/2 miler in high school but believed it was a lot of work. I have run on and off as an adult but nothing steady until about 5 years ago. I got very serious into weight lifting but after five shoulder surgeries, I didn't feel the pleasure of God in that. So I began to run again so I could eat what I wanted. Now I run because as I run and train I do feel the pleasure of God in my runs and in the people He has put me in contact with thru running. I am a police officer. I am married to Carolyn and have 3 children, Bryce 21, Kelsey 19 and Forrest 13. As of this writing I have run 7 marathons with 2 being Boston and currently serve as Co-President of Kalamazoo Area Runners.
Email: k9cid@aol.com
Cristi (white) Cruises Riverview 
Cristi Dedoes
Half Marathon Team Leader: 9:30 Pace Group
I started running with friends while at college in Iowa to stay in shape and it was something new to try. I started looking forward to each run and loved the feeling I had when I finished. Overtime I had encouragement from friends to start training for longer races. I moved up to the Fifth Third 25K and eventually wanted to try a marathon. I trained alone for the Detroit Marathon in 2004 and was very bored! While training for the 2005 Borgess half marathon I heard about the Safari training program. I joined the Safari training program for the 2005 Chicago marathon. While training I met some great friends and running partners. I ran Disney (2006), Chicago (2006) and Bayshore (2007) marathons. I have also run Borgess half marathon for the last three years and Grand Rapids half marathons for the last two years. I still love going out for each run and the feeling I have when I am finished.
Email: dedoesc@yahoo.com
Phone: 269-599-0173
Dottie decked out in dots!
Dottie Sullivan Dettloff
Half Marathon Team Leader: 11:30 Pace Group
I have been running for fun and fitness for about 11 years. Until 2006, my longest distance was a 10 k. Last year I was given the challenge to run a half marathon. I signed up for Safari Training to help me meet the challenge. There were so many great people in the training that it made each run fun and enjoyable. I ran my first (and only) half marathon in Chicago on October 1st. I retired from National City Bank in 2005 after 32 years of service. Earlier this year I joined Gazelle Sports as a bookkeeper. I have 2 children, Katie Pennington and Joey Vartanian, and two grandchildren, Derek and Georgia Pennington.
Email: ddettloff@gazellesports.com
Phone: 269 342-5996 (work) 269 806-7255 (cell)
Is that a Boston Marathon shirt? 
Brian Dobbie
Marathon Team Leader: 8:30 Pace Group
Getting my first pair of Keds was a real revelation. After spending years wearing heavy, high top orthopedic shoes, my pediatrician finally relented. I spent that first day running, jumping, and challenging my buddies to race. I continued to run through high school before deciding to take a break. Thirty years later, I casually mentioned to my son Will that I might like to run a marathon ‘some day’. When I received Galloway’s Marathon from him for Father’s Day, I returned to running (with walk breaks). I completed my first marathon the following January in San Diego, and have now run seven, including Detroit, Grandma’s, and Boston. Kalamazoo has a great, supportive running community, which has helped me keep at this. I’ve participated in several run camps, and I’m looking forward to my new role as a guide. I won’t be wearing Keds, but I (almost) always remember how much fun it is to run.
E-mail: brian.dobbie@gmail.com
Phone: 269-491-2377
Hey, where did the rest of the herd go?
Steve Downard
Track Workout Coach: Evening Sessions
I am excited by the opportunity to be a Tuesday night track coach because I feel that this form of training is what truly makes the difference in attaining new levels of fitness on your running journey and if done consistently you will notice significant improvement in all of your race times. I have run consistently inconsistent since I was a kid but really took up running about 8 years ago for health reasons and as a competitive person by nature started distance running seriously about 3 years ago. I have completed 6 marathons including this years Boston. I am married to Trish who has completed 2 marathons and we have 3 kids, Will (8), Kyle (7) and Megan (4).
Email: Downards01@msn.com
Tessa (black) sets the pace for her team!
Tessa Emenheiser
Half Marathon Team Leader: 9:00 Pace Group
Many years ago I started and now I continue running for exercise and stress-relief. I work (and play!) at Gazelle Sports, overseeing community outreach initiatives in all of our stores in West Michigan. While I enjoy running by myself from time to time, there’s nothing like a training group to make the miles fly by! I completed my first marathon last summer after training with the Safari program. It was a great accomplishment but the half remains my favorite distance! An injury two years ago led me to regular cross-training (cycling and swimming) which has enhanced my running. I highly recommend it!
Email: temenheiser@gazellesports.com
Holly intently listening to Marty's expertise
Marty Feilen
Marathon Team Leader: 11:00 Pace Group
I turned 50 in 2001. At Christmas time that year, my son said, "Dad, it would be fun to run a marathon with you, but you're too old." I said, Let's go junior. We're signing up for Chicago right now." The rest is history. I have run the Chicago Marathon every year since then and will be running it this year with our two sons. I have been a member of the Safari the last four years. I'm also a charter member of "TEAM TURTLE" an elite group of long slow Safari runners training for marathons. It's all about having fun during the training, enjoying the camaraderie, putting in the miles, and feeling great at the finish line of your marathon (especially your first!). We will help you do all of those things.
Email: martyf@ctsmail.net
Phone: 269-746-5353
Carl's understudy (Dad's headed for the maternity ward)
Carl Fried
Injury Coach
I grew up in Chicago and have been living here in Kalamazoo for the past ten years. I was introduced to the "craziness and the joy of running marathons" six years ago when I was talked into it by friends and family as a way to get together for long runs back in Chicago. I was bit hard by the marathon bug and since then I have had the opportunity to travel and run at Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Philadelphia, San Diego and Traverse City. Running is now a big part of my family, as I met my wife through the KAR. She and I have coached together for the Team in Training and our daughter just ran her first Borgess fun run. I have worked as a physical therapist for K-Valley Orthopedics for the past ten years and have worked extensively with runners doing gait analysis for the past five.
Email: onclimbing@charter.net
Chip Hanson
Marathon Team Leader: 10:30 Pace Group
My father passed away two weeks before my first marathon in 1999. It was the most difficult thing I had to face in my life. I did complete the Detroit Marathon. Not a record time, but that has to be by far my most memorable marathon. In memory of my father I run for fun. I have since gone on to complete 9 marathons. I am going to do my best to complete at least one marathon a year in memory of him. I have worked for Gazelle Sports, I have trained with Gazelle's Marathon Training group for the past 4 years. I look forward to meeting all of you this summer! My goal is to make sure we have a really fun summer of running!
E-mail: michrun@charter.net
Lisa leads in the white cap, but which one?
Lisa Hanson
Marathon Team Leader: 10:00 Pace Group
I run for the social aspect of running. I have helped with Gazelle's marathon training for the past several years and enjoy meeting new runners. I've run 10 marathons and severral half marathons. All have been a learning experience! Some people tell me I can be a little bossy on the long runs, but I say it's just the third grade teacher in me! I look forward to running with everyone this year!
Email: lbarkovich@charter.net
Hey, this stuff is good! What is it?
Frank Hui
Marathon Team Leader: 10:30 Pace Group
Never a gifted athlete, I was cut from the very first high school soccer tryout. Nevertheless, soccer was still my passion and it remained my favorite recreational activity for many years. In order to enjoy the game I loved, I stayed in relative fit form for playing through running. I found pleasure in running local 5K and 10K races in Ann Arbor until it culminated into my one and only Ann Arbor/Dexter Run in 1971. I had to abandon long distance running after an undiagnosed IT band injury even though I continued to keep up my short distance running just so I could continue to play soccer, and to a lesser extent, downhill ski with my 2 children out west. I had to admit that I was an accidental marathon runner who got ‘conned’ into running a marathon 3 years ago, thinking that I was only helping a friend to complete his supposed ‘last’ marathon, thinking that that would be it. Little did I know that I would find marathon running a better exercise for me at the ripe old age of 57. Besides, soccer is really a young man’s sport as I found both my teammates and opponents were getting younger every year. Since then, I’ve completed 3 marathons and plan to finish my fourth this fall in Chicago.
Email: frankhui@mac.com (h), frank.c.hui@pfizer.com (w)
Phone Number: 269-668-3668 (h) 269-833-1125 (w) 269-207-7081
Just stick with me guys (Joe is up front)!
Joe Hulsebus
Track Coach: Evening Sessions
My running career began at East Kentwood High School as a hurdler and quarter miler. Upon reaching college in 1983, a friend and I decided to try the Old Kent River Bank Run 25K. We were grossly under trained and very naive about road racing necessities such as trying to drink from a paper cup while running. We were slow; however, we had a great time. I guess you could say that the "rest is history" because 24 years later, I'm still competing in road races. After recovering from knee surgery in 2000, I decided to try a marathon. I limped across the finish line on Ford Field at the Detroit Free Press Marathon in 2002. Over the next 2 1/2 years, I completed seven more marathons highlighted by the 2005 Boston Marathon. For the past two winters, I served as a team leader with the Borgess Run Camp. It has been very rewarding to see many of my team members complete their first 13.1 mile race and/or set P.R.'s. Last summer, I helped with the Safari evening track sessions.
Email: kar.bcrr@gmail.com
Phone: 269-387-3817
Guess what... Pat's birthday is St Patty's Day!
Pat Johnson
Marathon Team Leader: 9:00 Pace Group
Being a 98 lb weakling and uncoordinated at that, as a youngster Pat was never much of an athlete. That, combined with the fact that there was no such thing as cross country competition in the olden days, he spent his high school days in Utah in the thespian club rather than on the athletic field. He became a runner when he was 46 after returning to college to get a degree. By then the 98 lb weakling had ballooned to 210 lbs and grossly out of shape. Taking a Fitness for Life class at Cornerstone University he began an exercise and diet program in late January, 1988, and was able to run his first Old Kent River Bank Run on May 8th of that same year with a "blazing" 2:14 finish time. Since 1988, he has completed 6 marathons. The 2007 Boston was his latest and his second Boston Marathon finish. Pat lives in Otsego and is married to Judy. He has one child and 4 step children and 7 grand kids. He was a participant in the first Safari Training program in 2004 and ran the first Grand Rapids Marathon that fall. That qualified him for the 2005 Boston run. The assistance with training and camaraderie this program offers has been what draws him back year after year.
Email: wally_p1875@charter.net
Phone Number: 269-694-6825
Tim mentioned the cat, forgot the parrot!
Tim Kling
Half Marathon Team Leader: 10:30 Pace Group
I learned to hate running from a big, mean, Marine Corps drill instructor whose idea of a fun run was lacing up your combat boots, strapping on a backpack, and running on concrete for an hour or so. After discharge, I took a 29 year hiatus from running, never planning to do it again unless it was to run to the fridge and grab a cold one. Then last year my daughter Kayla decided to try her hand at running and needed a partner. With the help of Gazelle sports and the KAR, we learned to run the “right way” and I have learned to love the thing I once dreaded. Kayla and I ran the Mackinac Island Great Turtle half marathon last fall, and the Martian Marathon this spring and plan to do many more in the future. The only “cold one” I grab these days is a bottle of water after a good run!!! My wife Kris, daughter Kayla, Cat Eufer and I, live in Allegan.
Email: tim.kling@menasha.com
Phone: 269-806-6184
The #1 reason Sheldon runs!
Sheldon Langsam
Half Marathon Team Leader: 11:00 Pace Group
My running background includes two half marathons (Chicago and Borgess) both of which I finished in2:12 (I'm consistent). I only started running about a year ago whenI did the 5K class with Julie Pomeroy at Gazelle. I am 57 years oldand when people ask me why I took up running at my age I tell them Ihate golf. In terms of personal life I am a professor at WMU and Ihave two children, Kelly (27) and Seth (23).
E-mail: Sheldon.Langsam@wmich.edu
Home: 269-345-5331
Cell: 513 532-0732
Oh yeah, I'm feeling good!
Rob Lillie
New Marathoner Coach
Most of you know me as the very energetic manager of the Downtown Kalamazoo Gazelle Sports! In addition to supervising the staff and daily store operations, I have the opportunity to meet and assist our customers and community members. I enjoy both the training and racing aspects of running. I have a degree in Exercise Science from WMU and experience working as a Personal Trainer. I recently completed my third marathon in Traverse City.
Email: slillie@gazellesports.com
We're two months post Boston and I still can't get this on!
(Sherrie's on right)
Sherrie Mann
Track Workout Coach: Morning Sessions
I discovered the joy of running when I began running cross-country and track in my early high school years. I went on to college and have been running recreationally ever since (over 20 years – whew!). My husband and I have been married 18 years and have two very active children (ages 13 and 15). Besides working full-time at WMU as a Database Administrator, I keep very busy running kids to basketball, football, baseball games and track meets. Fortunately my family completely supports my running; it is a high priority to make sure mom gets her runs in! I normally run a handful of road races a year. I have run 5 marathons including Chicago , Detroit and Boston and plan to run many more. I love sharing the joy of fitness and running in particular to others. I coached a Girl’s on The Run team in 2003 and have volunteered at the GOTR event the last few years. I’ve been a member of Kalamazoo Area Runners for several years and am currently a board member. I also helped out the Safari training group the last two years by leading the Tuesday morning track workouts. I look forward to more opportunities to help others (children and adults) discover the joy of fitness and to make it a life-time habit.
Email: Slmann@sbcglobal.net
Phone: 269- 685-2064
Ok...that's much better!
Vicky Mergen
Marathon Team Leader: 10:00 Min Pace Group
I began recreational running at age 31 while living in Ohio. I was amazed at all the running groups and support I found when I moved to Kalamazoo. I ran my first marathon after training with Gazelle several years ago and I am now planning on running my 4th marathon this fall. I am a Certified Personal Trainer. I started up Stroller Strides of Kalamazoo last June and I am finishing up my third year as Girls on the Run Coach. I have two children, Jesseca 14 and Victor 12 both of which have a few 5k’s under their belts already. I look forward to another summer of running and camaraderie.
Email: vmergen@yahoo.com
Phone: 269-343-1304
Tammy Parat
Marathon Team Leader: 12:00 Pace Group
I am a business owner and a mother of two boys ages 8 and 14. I moved back to Kalamazoo after living 17 years in Chicago. I have completed 3 Chicago Marathons and one Grand Rapids Marathon. I have coached Girls on the Run and Girls on Track and support the fundraising arm of GOTR, Team Tiara. I ran with the Alpine runners in Chicago, the Kalamazoo Area Runners, Gazelle Safari Training Program, and Borgess. My motto is slow and steady finishes the race. I have never paced faster than a 12 minute mile. A friend once told me that you run 1/3 of the race with your mind; 1/3 of the race physically with your body; and the final portion of the race with your heart. Learn, dream, live….run.
Email: Tammy1243@comcast.net
Phone: 269-615-3929
Sorry Julie (pink shorts) We lost the close up!
Julie Pomeroy
Gazelle Sports Program Director, Half Marathon Team Leader 10:00 Min Pace Group
My dad used to take my brother and me to run a mile long run twice a week, when I was young. That is where it all started and I have been addicted to running ever since. I have a degree in Exercise Science from WMU and am currently going back for my masters in Occupational Therapy. I work at Gazelle Sports where I coach the 5k, 10k and Safari Training. I love to teach people how to run and live a healthy lifestyle while having fun. I have been married a year and have a wonderful husband and two dogs who I cherish!
Email: Jpomeroy@Gazellesports.com
Look at the positive side; at least I won't get lost on this thing!
Bonnie Sexton
Kalamazoo Area Runners Training Director, Track Workout Coordinator and Communications
What a thrill it is to be part of the Safari for the 5th consecutive year; the first two years as a participant and last two years as the KAR Coordinator. I grew up in New York and ran track for Liberty University as a sprinter in the late 1980’s. After my sophomore year, I “retired” from competitive running. In 2002… fourteen years, a husband (Jeff, who very tries hard to comprehend my running addiction) and three wonderful children (Michael (12), Steven (10) and Paige (8)) later, I returned to the sport of my youth, this time as a distance runner. In the 5 years since, I have completed 14 marathons including Boston twice. I love to share my joy of running with others though training programs and my background includes co-organizing the 2005 KAR/SHufflers Boston-to-Bayshore Marathon Training Program, the 2007 KAR Beyond Marathon Training Program, serving as the KAR Coordinator for the 2005 & 2006 Safari, and as half marathon coach for the 2006 Borgess Run Camp. I served 3 years on the board of Kalamazoo Area Runners and am currently KAR Training Director. My “real” job outside the jungle is as a Human Resources Officer for National City. I am looking forward to a great summer of running, training, and encouraging each Safari star to achieve their marathon & half marathon goals while at the same time making the journey a fun-filled and life changing experience!
E-mail: besrun2003@yahoo.com
Phone: 269-492-4192
Mark Sigfrids circa 19??
Mark Sigfrids
Half Marathon Team Leader: 8:00 & 8:30 Min Pace Group
I am a Mathematics Instructor at Kalamazoo Valley Community College. I have been running all my life and only recently tried my first marathon with great support from KAR friends. I ran the mile in high school and was on the cross country team in a small town in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I joined the Peace Corps in 1975 and ran with students and friends throughout Swaziland. I started running races again in 1995 at the Reeds Lake 10k in Grand Rapids and for the past few years as a member of KAR have participated in many local running events. I especially like the long group runs on Saturday morning for the camaraderie and support of the other runners. The most difficult long distance event I ever completed was the Dances With Dirt Ultra (50k) last September in Hell, Michigan.
e-mail: msigfrids@kvcc.edu
Phone: 269-488-4480
Bye!
Julie Steeby
Marathon Team Leader: 9:30 Pace Group
I began my love of recreational running 25 years ago while going through the rigors of nursing school. Fellow classmates turned to smoking to relieve their stress, I decided to become addicted to a healthier lifestyle and purchased my first pair of running shoes! I don’t consider myself to be a “competitive” runner but have always enjoyed the camaraderie of running in groups. I participated in 4 years of the Borgess Run Camp and two years ago in the Gazelles Summer Safari to prepare for the 2005 Chicago Marathon. For health reasons I was side-lined in 2006 and couldn’t run for 18 weeks which meant no return trip to Chicago Marathon that year! This past Winter I ran with the Kalamazoo SHufflers and utilized the “Galloway” method for training to run in the 2007 BayShore Marathon. I am happy to say that I completed that and qualified for the Boston Marathon! I work full-time as a nurse at K-Valley Orthopedics. I go into work early every morning to workout. It’s important to me to be a living example to my patients and I want to continue to be a role model not only to them but to my family as well. I’ve been married to Jon for 26 years and we have 2 adult children who are college students at WMU. As a family we have always enjoyed an active life-style.
Email: Julio_lpn@yahoo.com
Phone: Home (269)679-4581, Cell (269)547-0068
Hey Vicky, you think yours was a close-up, check this out!
Brenda Stoddard, R.D.
Marathon Team Leader: 8:00 Pace Group
Running has been a huge part of my life for over 25 years. For many years, I stayed in my comfort zone, and enjoyed training by myself (or pushing my sons in a jogging stroller) and running "tons" of 5 and 10k races. Then, in 2002 I caught the "marathon bug". Since then, I have completed 11 marathons (including 4 Boston) and let me just warn you, I'm still contagious….once you get exposed to this illness, its tough to find a cure! Thanks to KAR/BCRR I had the great fortune of being introduced to group running in 2004. While I still do appreciate solo running, group running introduced me to a whole new meaning, level and love of running! One of my biggest motivators to keep going is: OTHER RUNNERS! I truly appreciate and cherish the positive camaraderie, instant respect and sincere understanding that runners share! It is relationship that is a rare find! Along with my love for running I also have a vested interest in nutrition. I am a Registered Dietitian at the VA medical center in Battle Creek and love it when I get the chance to combine two of my favorite passions into ONE! So, when you see me before, during or after a run; feel free to "Ask the Dietitian" any nutritional related questions and I will be more than happy to try to help!
Above all, my wonderful husband Jim and our 3 very active boys: Evan (soon to be 15), Trevor (11) and Brendan (6) are truly my biggest motivation and inspiration! Many people ask me" How do you manage to run, work full time and still have quality time with your family and friends". My answer is: "Desire, determination, and hard work on my part but what is even more important is the love, understanding, support and patience that my family provides me!" Even though there are those times they think I'm a bit NUTTY, they know and appreciate that being a runner is an important part of who I am. (Plus it helps that they have experienced first hand how running cures EVERYTHING for me…not to mention it is my instant mood enhancerJ!!)
As a team leader this year, I'm looking forward to getting to know you and learning what your goals are (we will have plenty of good quality time to talk during our runs) so that I can help guide, motivate and encourage you towards reaching your personal best! Also, I've have been known to provide some comic relief from time to time (without even trying)! So, we should have a lot of fun along the way!
Email: brenda@firecracker5.com
Phone: 269-223-5387
